Waves Pound Chilean Coast, Inland Town Damaged After Quake

8.3-Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Chile

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NBC News
August 19, 2015

This content comes from Closed Captioning that was broadcast along with this program.

>>we're following in
south america
.

>>>that massive earthquake in chile. the day after the quake officials now put the death toll at 708. and they say it's likely to go higher. a million and a half people have been displaced. many of the dead were in concepcion, chile's second largest city, not far from the epicenter. nbc's
george lewis
has the latest.

>>reporter: utter devastation on the coast of chile. the
fishing port
of constitucion slammed by the earthquake, then leveled by the tsunami waves that followed. water inundated neighborhoods a
quarter mile
inland, tossing boats against buildings. this man said a wave 30 feet high destroyed his house. state-run television said there were 350 dead in this place alone.
amateur video
captured the moment just after the tsunami waves hit the coastal village of dechato, with more widespread flooding and destruction. elsewhere, in the city of concepcion, police used
tear gas
and water cannons to disperse crowds of looters in a supermarket. authorities imposed a curfew to curb further violence. this woman said it's out of necessity, "we don't have water or anything to eat. i've got a baby, and i don't have bread or anything."

>>we're seeing that they were needing desperately this food.

>>reporter:
chilean presidentmichelle bachelet
told the nation, "we face a catastrophe of such unthinkable magnitude that it will require a giant effort for chile to recover." she's now requesting
international aid
, especially
field hospitals
, as the country's overburdened medical system tries to cope with the injured. another continuing problem, aftershocks from the 8.8 earthquake making it dangerous for
rescue workers
looking for people trapped in the rubble.

>>there's a possibility of some very large aftershocks that can do damage. so far we've recorded at least 100 aftershocks of magnitude 5 or larger.

>>reporter: santiago's
international airport
reopened today to a few incoming flights. the main terminal is heavily damaged, the windows smashed, the ceilings partially collapsed. and passengers are being bused to other buildings to be processed. but the reopening of the airport will pave the way for international relief efforts as chile tries to cope with its worst earthquake in half a century.
george lewis
, nbc news,
los angeles
.